girl next door ☆ c. sturniolo

0.4 and i'm wondering whatever happened to the girl next door

Addie opened the door to my bedroom, to see Chris sitting on her bed holding a stuffed monkey, Chimp. He had won it for Addie at the fair the summer before she moved, and I let him name it. I smiled softly at the memory, shutting the door behind me. Chris looked up, seeming to have been in deep thought himself.

"Do you remember winning him for me?" Addie asked him as she gently sat down next to him. I was treating him like a scared puppy, a movement too sudden and he'll bolt.

Chris looked at Addie before quickly looking away. "I'm surprised you even remember that." He murmured quietly.

Addie was livid at that. "Chris, you don't get to do that." She spits at him, catching him off guard.

"Do what?" He asked, appalled at Addie's tone. In his eyes, she should be kissing his ass right now, not trying to pick fights.

"I'm sorry for the tone, but you just pissed me off, Chris." Addie scoffed, now it was her turn to cross her arms across her chest. "You don't get to dismiss all of our good times just because you're mad at me. You don't get to act like you didn't mean the world to me." Addie declares, surprising Chris and herself.

Chris sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking when I said that. I know our friendship before you fucked it up was genuine." He half apologized, making Addie snicker. He was always bad at apologies, that hadn't changed at least.

He leaned back so he could get more comfortable, and Addie couldn't help but notice him getting into his usual spot on her bed. It was like all the time that passed wasn't an issue for a second. Only for a second, because Chris opened his mouth.

"So what was the point of coming up here?' He asked curtly, being reminded of the situation at hand.

"I figured if I wanted you to really talk to me, we'd have to be alone. I know you used to think your brothers would judge you for having such strong feelings in an argument, so I want you to tell me how you really feel right now, Chris. We won't be able to fix this if you can't put everything on the table." Addie softly spoke, turning towards the boy. He refused to look at her but nodded to show he was listening.

"I don't know where to start, Ad's," Chris whispered after a few beats of silence. He was unsure of what to say, now that she's finally here with him, it seems like his memory had been wiped of everything to do with the girl he once called his best friend.

Addie grabbed his hand, giving it a firm squeeze, trying to help him ground himself. Although she doesn't know the little things about him anymore, she can still notice when he's about to spiral. "Start at the beginning, when I stopped replying to you."

Chris closed his eyes tightly, "That hurt so much Addie, hearing Lana say she was still talking to you but you wouldn't reply to me. Or my brothers.." He trailed off, tightening his grip around Addie's hand. "Never getting a full explanation, not knowing if I did something to hurt you and make you not wanna be friends with me anymore..." He trailed off, staring at his lap. Addie's heart was as breaking for the boy all over again.

"You made it seem so easy, to just up and drop us like we hadn't been best friends since we were in diapers. Like, I would have never done that to you. Never. And when you never reached out over all the years? There hasn't been a day since you left where I didn't check my phone several times in hope of seeing a text from you." Chris admitted, finally looking at Addie, to see tears streaming down her face, tears in his own eyes. "I was always wondering whatever happened to the girl next door."

"Chris," Addie whispered, reaching her free hand up to her eyes, covering them. She pulled back after a few seconds, realizing she's not going to stop crying anytime soon. "I wish I could go back in time and change what I did, I really do. I don't think you will ever know just how truly sorry I am." She finally spoke, feeling Chris' eyes on her.